Dar plantón

to stand someone up; **to stand someone up**; **to leave someone waiting**; **to fail to show up**; **to not turn up** (BrE); **to no-show** (informal)

Dar plantón means to stand someone up, to leave someone waiting, or to fail to show up for an appointment.

It usually implies that the absence was unexpected and caused inconvenience or disappointment.

• does not appear for a date
• fails to attend a meeting
• leaves another person waiting
• cancels without warning
• simply never turns up

The noun plantón originally referred to the act of making someone remain standing in one place for a long time.

From this image developed the modern meaning of leaving someone waiting because the expected person never arrives.

Today the expression almost always refers to appointments, meetings or social engagements.

The expression often carries a sense of personal offence.

Giving someone plantón is generally considered impolite, especially when:

• no explanation is given;
• no warning is provided;
• or the other person waits for a long time.

For this reason, the idiom frequently appears in conversations about friendships, romantic relationships and work.

Spanish has several expressions related to appointments and disappointment:

• Dar plantón → to stand someone up.
• Dejar colgado a alguien → to let someone down; to leave someone stranded.
• No presentarse → not to show up.
• Quedar en nada → to come to nothing.

Among them, dar plantón is by far the most idiomatic and specifically refers to making someone wait because you fail to appear at an agreed meeting.

This idiom has a direct English equivalent.

Simply translate it as:

• to stand someone up

In professional contexts, alternatives include:

• to fail to show up
• to not turn up
• to miss the appointment without notice

Choose the translation according to the level of formality.